The government stopped allocating funds to the National Police Service (NPS) for the construction and maintenance of police houses, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said, amid growing concern over poor living conditions for officers in remote and conflict-prone areas.
Murkomen said the change followed a 2018 policy shift that transferred responsibility for police housing to the State Department for Housing and Urban Development.
Responding to questions from Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute in the Senate, the CS explained that the National Police Service no longer receives budgetary allocations for constructing or renovating police residential units after the government adopted a housing allowance model for all officers.
“Under this framework, all officers across all ranks now receive housing allowances and are expected to seek accommodation within the communities they serve,” Murkomen stated.
“Consequently, the National Police Service no longer receives budgetary allocations for the construction, renovation, or maintenance of police housing.”
The policy document that guided the shift, issued in September 2018, is titled Policy Framework and Strategy for the Reorganisation of the National Police Service and Provision of Decent and Affordable Housing for Police Officers and Integration with Communities and Neighbourhoods.
Murkomen said the reform aimed to integrate officers into communities and end the long-standing institutional housing arrangements, which the government argued had isolated officers and created security challenges.
He added that the State Department for Housing and Urban Development is now responsible for all police housing development and maintenance projects, including upgrades to police stations and security posts.
“The responsibility for construction, renovation, and maintenance of housing infrastructure now lies with the State Department,” he said.
This includes projects in border and conflict-prone regions such as Marsabit and Turkana counties.
The CS confirmed that there will be no direct budget for police housing projects in the 2025/2026 financial year, including at Illeret Police Post in Marsabit County, contrary to expectations from lawmakers representing security-challenged areas.
“The National Police Service does not receive a budgetary vote from the National Treasury for infrastructural development of police stations and security posts,” he noted, adding that no funds have been allocated for such works in the 2025/26 fiscal year.
Senator Chute had sought clarification on the criteria used to prioritise infrastructure funding for police posts, whether border and conflict-prone areas receive special consideration, and the current condition of police housing and facilities in Marsabit and Turkana counties.
He also inquired about maintenance mechanisms for rural and remote security posts and the funding status of the Illeret Police Post upgrade.
Murkomen’s response indicated that while the need for improved facilities remains, the mandate for police housing development now lies with the Housing Ministry rather than the police.
The 2018 reforms were intended to modernise policing and improve officers’ welfare by phasing out free institutional accommodation, introducing housing allowances, integrating officers into communities, and consolidating housing development under one government agency.
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